Ironman 70.3: Craig Alexander and 3-Time World Champion is Heading to the Sunshine Coast

Triple World Ironman Champion, Craig Alexander, is the latest addition to an already stellar field set to fire up Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast on 10th September and the 44 year old superstar has been putting in a solid training block to ensure he is in top shape for his return to the Sunshine Coast.

“With my family and business commitments, these days my racing depends on scheduling and time. In the last couple of years I have had a nice balance of being home a lot with the family, growing my coaching business and also racing when I can,” he said.

“I still love to race but it is not the day to day priority anymore. It is not about waking up and training all day and coming home and eating and sleeping, then repeat. So what I try to do is keep the training simmering along most of the time and when I do decide to race I try to block out the calendar to prepare the right way to give myself every opportunity to race well.”

“There were a number of things that influenced the decision to pull the runners on. I wasn’t totally unfit, the Sunny Coast is a great race and only an hour’s flight from home, and it is a sensational course. So it was the perfect opportunity. Obviously since I made the decision to race I have stepped up the training but time will tell if racing the Sunny Coast is a smart decision or not,” he laughed.

No stranger to the Sunshine Coast having raced there throughout his short course career and at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships last year, Craig’s decision to race is welcome news for the legion of “Crowie” fans will turn out to cheer on their hero.

“I still love to race and won four out of the seven events I competed in last year in elite company. I am still motivated to race the harder races against the good guys and the start lists are a lot different these days. There are a lot younger guys coming through and that keeps me interested and motivated as it is a different generation of guys I am racing and they are really good, super quick.”

“This is a competitive field that has been assembled and I am fully aware of that. That is what gets me out of bed in the morning, I don’t want to embarrass myself,” he laughed.  “It is a good field and I hopefully I can scare them, but we will see.”

“I raced Dan Wilson once earlier this year in Busso, where he won and I got second. I was in really good shape, I won Huski and I had a hard fought second place up in Subic Bay and then I got to Busselton and Dan won quite convincingly. He beat me by a minute and I had a very good race, so Dan will be tough to beat. I have always rated him and think he is a great athlete.”

“I have seen the course and I think it is great. I didn’t do the original 70.3 course which I think was two laps up and down the motorway but the course we did last year in the World Champs was one lap of the motorway and then you go inland. While the motorway section is flat and fast, you have some undulation and hills in the second part of the ride and then with the run you have got to go up and down Alex Headland a couple of times so I think it will be real test for all the athletes,” he said.